Emma & Tom Talk Teaching

We're on the road for a special podcast recording today, speaking to Jess Dainham about her work for her Master's degree. As part of her research, Jess has investigated how to make the Curriculum for Wales work for the working class pupils that she teaches. When we're carrying out education research, we don't tend to name schools or participants, so today's podcast comes from an unnamed school in south Wales. but Jess's pupils are predominantly working class, and Jess herself comes from a working class background, so she was interested in how to make things work for them.Whether you're working in a working-class catchment or not, there are lots of really important ideas in Jess's work, especially listening to the pupils in front of you, and Jess gives us plenty of encouragement to engage in research in order to make our practice better. Thanks to Jess for inviting us in!---------------------------------------------------------Recorded at a secondary school in south Wales on 14th July 2022

Welcome back to PGCE Research Bites! In this episode, PGCE Secondary Biology with Science student Joseph Thomas talks to Dr. James Snook about how he spent time in school trying to get a more in-depth understanding of scaffolding learning. While scaffolding is a well-known term, and many of the strategies Joseph came across during his investigation are familiar to all of us, he wanted to have a really good look at how it could work. Having done some reading, Joseph then tried out an intervention to help his pupils get to grips with a tricky topic.-----------------------------------------Recorded in studio B0.17, Cyncoed Campus, Cardiff Metropolitan University on 21st June 2022

It's always lovely to welcome a school colleague to the podcast! Today we say hello to Lauren Rees, who is currently the research champion at Stanwell School in Penarth, but has fulfilled every teacher-educator role in her time at the school. We're keen to hear the school perspective about how research and enquiry contributes to the development of new teachers, as well as what it does for the school as a whole. With the new curriculum upon us, is it even more important that schools engage with sources of knowledge and share them around?Plus Lauren brings us something interesting and something to try, both of which are of interest to all of us, new and old teachers alike!--------------------------------------------------------Recorded in Q0.13 at Cardiff Metropolitan University's Cyncoed Campus on 12th July 2022

For the latest instalment in our PGCE Research Bites strand, Tom talks for PGCE primary student teacher Peter Russell about his intervention to increase pupil engagement in Welsh in his placement primary school.Located in Torfaen, Peter's school presented something of a challenge when it came to enthusing pupils about wanting to learn Welsh: not only is Torfaen one of the most socio-economically deprived parts of the country, it also has a very low proportion of Welsh speakers.As part of his final PGCE assignment, Peter worked with pupils to co-construct an intervention that changed the way they felt about learning and using Welsh, and this episode of Research Bites summarises Peter's work.You can also see this episode in video form on the Cardiff Partnership's professional learning YouTube channel.--------------------------------------Recorded in studio B0.17, Cyncoed Campus, Cardiff Metropolitan University on 24th June 2022

Welcome back to season 5 of the podcast! Today's episode features an extended interview with our colleague Paula Webber (Programme Leader for PGCE Secondary Religious Education) to talk about religion, values and ethics. Not in the abstract - it's a mandatory part of the new curriculum for Wales. Up to this point, religious education (RE) has been something that parents can opt their children out of, but the all-new RVE is compulsory for all.So it's time for an in-depth chat about what's covered in RVE, the sort of difficult debates teachers will find themselves in the middle of, and how schools can make sure that they stay on the right side of a constantly evolving area of learning.We recorded this interview last academic year, so you'll hear us refer to the implementation of the new curriculum as a future event - and now, of course, it's here!You can find the full version of Paula's recommended video from Theos Think Tank here.------------------------------------------Recorded in studio D0.18 at Cardiff Metropolitan University's Cyncoed Campus on 29th March 2022

Happy holidays! We're checking in briefly before we go off for some R&R. We look back on an exciting season of episodes, and forward to series 5. We'll be back with our normal service on Friday 9th September. In the meantime, we hope you're all keeping well. Why not give us a rating or review?

Here we are at the end of another series - four long years in front of the microphone! Meanwhile, in the wider world of education, Wales is heading for an important staging post on the curriculum reform journey: by the time we come back into your ears in September, the new Curriculum for Wales will be happening in schools all over the country. It seems a good opportunity to fire up the line to our friends in Yr Athrofa at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David Carmarthen, and chew things over with their director of education policy, Gareth Evans. Gareth was education editor of the Western Mail for many years, and now writes fearlessly about the roller-coaster of Welsh education reform on his blog, Welsh Education Matters. Over 50 minutes with Gareth, we take stock of where we are now and where we might end up, pointing out the positives but also the bits that have gone less well, and some things to watch out for in the journey ahead. Hopefully there’s a lot in here for our friends and colleagues in education to chew over as they head off for a summer break and a future which, if nothing else, will be interesting…Thanks to Gareth for joining us today - you can read his excellent blog at welsheducationmatters.wordpress.com - and we’ll be back on the 9th September for our fifth year of podcast adventures.Thanks for listening, have a wonderful summer, and we’ll be back with you soon!Best wishes from Emma and Tom------------------------------------Recorded in studio D0.18 at Cardiff Metropolitan University's Cyncoed Campus, and remotely, on 22nd June 2022

We welcome an alumna of the (sadly departed) Teach First Cymru programme today. Bethan Jeffers has now moved sideways into a job working for the Skills Builder Partnership. Set up by Tom Ravenscroft (not, as Tom initially thought, the music broadcaster and son of the late Radio 1 DJ John Peel, but an educator, strangely enough), Skills Builder aims to provide businesses and education institutions with a framework to recognise those all-important basic skills that are so vital for getting on in the world of work. In providing a framework for skills, the partnership aims to give an incentive for schools to track and acknowledge progress in these skills, while also providing a common language about skills for educators and the world of business.You can find the partnership at www.skillsbuilder.org, where you can access the Universal Framework and many free online tools and resources. If you're interested in the Accelerator support programme that includes strategic support and training head to www.skillsbuilder.org/accelerator. Each year there are fully funded places available, most have gone for the 22/23 programme now but you can still apply by the 8th of July and be put on the waiting list to be in with a chance! Also, Bethan is happy to answer any questions if you want to drop her an email: bethan.jeffers@skillsbuilder.org------------------------------------Recorded in studio C2.05 at Cardiff Metropolitan University's Cyncoed Campus on 23rd May, 2022

Welcome to PGCE Research Bites 11, and our final bonus Saturday episode. Today, Dr. Rhodri Lewis from PGCE Secondary Biology with Science is in conversation with Dr. James Snook, senior lecturer in PGCE Secondary Science.Rhodri has reviewed the literature about target setting for pupil development with the aim of helping GCSE pupils come to an understanding about where they are and what they need to do earlier than that awkward Year 11 parents' evening that many of them seem to experience!Rhodri has read literature from education but also further afield including healthcare to come up with recommendations for his lead partnership school. You can hear all about his research process and his findings, and Rhodri has kindly made his summary infographic available to download here.If you'd like to watch this discussion in video form, you can head over to the Professional Learning with the Cardiff Partnership channel on YouTube, where there are plenty more goodies for you to enjoy!Rhodri's six main sources for his work are:Grant, H. and Dweck, C.S. (2003) ‘Clarifying Achievement Goals and Their Impact’, Journal of personality and social psychology, 85(3), pp. 541–553. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.85.3.541.Nordengren, C. (2019) ‘Goal-setting practices that support a learning culture’, Phi Delta Kappan, 101(1), pp. 18–23. doi:10.1177/0031721719871558.Ogbeiwi, Osahon. (2017). Why written objectives need to be really SMART. British Journal of Healthcare Management. 23. 324-336. 10.12968/bjhc.2017.23.7.324. Perry, T., Davies, P. and Qiu, T. (2018) ‘Great grade expectations? The role of pupil expectations in target setting’, International journal of educational research, 89, pp. 139–152. doi:10.1016/j.ijer.2017.10.010.Iversen, A.-M. et al. (2015) ‘Learning, Leading, and Letting Go of Control: Learner-Led Approaches in Education’, SAGE open, 5(4), p. 215824401560842–. doi:10.1177/2158244015608423.Day, T. and Tosey, P. (2011) ‘Beyond SMART? A new framework for goal setting’, Curriculum journal (London, England), 22(4), pp. 515–534. doi:10.1080/09585176.2011.627213.

Dyma damaid arall o ymchwil TAR i chi ac mae’r fyfyrwraig TAR Cynradd, Elin Dawes yn siarad gyda Sioned Dafydd am ei gwaith. Ystyria i ba raddau mae Dysgu yn yr Awyr Agored yn cael effaith gadarnhaol ar iechyd a lles, a beth ddylid ei ystyried wrth ei ymgorffori i fywyd yr ysgol. Yn y sgwrs hon mae Elin yn esbonio beth wnaeth hi ddarganfod ac effaith hynny ar ei hymarfer proffesiynol.  Gallwch hefyd wylio’r sgwrs hon ar Professional Learning with the Cardiff Partnership YouTube channel. Mae crynodeb Elin, sydd ar ffurf pwerbwynt, yma Chwe phrif ffynhonnell Elin oedd: Marchant, E., Todd, C., Cooksey, R., Dredge, S., Jones, H., Reynolds, D., et al. (2019) ‘Curriculum-based outdoor learning for children aged 9-11: A qualitative analysis of pupils’ and teachers’ views’. Edwards-Jones, A., et al. (2016) Falling into LINE: school strategies for overcoming challenges associated with learning in natural environments (LINE) Pia Sjöblom & Maria Svens (2019) ‘Learning in the Finnish outdoor classroom: Pupils’ views, Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning’.Lehte Tuuling , Tia Õun & Aino Ugaste. (2019). ‘Teacher’s opinions on utilizing outdoor learning in the preschools of Estonia’.Atencio, M., Yuen Sze Michelle Tan, Ho, S., & Chew Ting Ching (2014) ‘The place and approach of outdoor learning within a holistic curricular agenda: development of Singaporean outdoor education practice.’Lovell, R., (2009) ‘Forestry Commission Scotland: Physical activity at Forest School’.